AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It can’t come soon enough, to be honest.”
“So, are you gonna keep seeing Hartley on the side?”
“I just saw her in Stone’s Throw. I’m meeting with her tomorrow to work on the new proposal. After that, I hope we can pick up where we left off.”
“Lucky you. But seriously, you need Keira out of your life for good, bro.”
“Trust me, I’m trying,” I sigh. It’s been one stress ball after another these past few months. I just don’t want to deal with any of it anymore. I’m hoping from what Hartley said, they can wrap it up in a neat little bow and put it to bed next week.
The chances of that happening? Who fucking knows.
“I’m just glad you listened to your parents and got that prenup in the first place,” Hudson says.
“Tell me about it. Mom never liked her. I should’ve read the signs.”
“Can’t help who you love. Sometimes you marry people you shouldn’t. It’s rough.”
He’s been my powerhouse through all of this. My family has too, Georgia especially. She’s always going in to bat for me.
I know everyone supports me here, even Gabe.
“Yeah, well. Let that be a lesson to you. Make sure you choose more wisely than I did,” I say loftily. “Though I guess at the time we were young, and I thought it was love. Rose-tinted glasses and all of that shit.”
It wasn't entirely bad, not in the beginning, but I suppose things changed over time.
“I’ll be sure to do that if the time ever comes,” he muses. “So, back to your one-nighter.”
“Hartley, if you don’t mind.”
“Hartley,” he amends. “What are you gonna do?”
“Keep it in my pants until Keira signs on the dotted line, which is gonna be hard. Hart is fucking incredible, Huds. But the woman is laying down the law about it being a conflict of interest. You know what it’s like, rumors spread fast in this small town. I couldn’t even hug her at Stone’s Throw.”
“Hart?” He chuckles. “Already shortening names, eh, Gray? You’ve got it bad, bro.”
“Don’t I know it.” He knows Hartley is the first woman I’ve been with since I left Keira.
“Don’t even deny it.”
“You wouldn’t either if you saw her.”
He laughs. “You’ve got me intrigued now. Pity I don’t have any legal hassles.”
I turn onto Stoney Creek road that leads back to the farm. “We’re having dinner Sunday night. Aunt Patti and Mom are having a cook off. Come over, I invited Hartley.”
I hear more amusement in his voice. “You’re lying low by inviting her over to a family dinner?”
“It’s not like she knows anyone in town. And this way she gets to meet everyone. I think she’s big on rules, so it’s the only way I could get her to agree.”
“That’s kinda hot,” he says. “Now you’re all gung-ho and you can’t have her.”
“How is this helping exactly, bud?”
“Like I said; I’m happy to help with a shoulder to cry on, or to give you crappy advice on what I think women want, since you put me unofficially in charge of protocol, but I’m not sure I’m the best candidate.”
I sigh. Knowing that in public, we have to wait. Behind closed doors, however…
Aren’t rules meant to be broken?
